Factors affecting quality of life of the homebound elderly hemiparetic stroke patients

[Purpose] This study examined the quality of life (QOL) of homebound elderly hemiparetic stroke patients and factors that affect it. [Subjects] The subjects of the study were 21 homebound elderly hemiparetic stroke patients who were 65 years old or over and required care for daily living (12 males and 9 females, average age: 79.3 ± 8.4 years old). Their physical and psychological conditions, QOL, and other characteristics were researched. [Methods] The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was used for the activities of daily living (ADL) assessment, and the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36, Japanese version 1.2) was used for the QOL assessment. [Results] No correlations were observed between the QOL of homebound elderly hemiparetic stroke patients and their age and gender. However, the results showed that their QOL was affected by their independence in ADL, bedridden degree, and care-need level. [Conclusion] These results suggest that in order to improve the QOL of homebound elderly hemiparetic stroke patients, ongoing rehabilitation to improve independence in ADL and lower the bedridden degree and care-need level is required.